We ate: A lot. My husband, Alex, and I love tapas. It’s our favorite way to dine. If you’re not familiar, tapas-style meals consist of multiple dishes served in smaller portions. Generally the idea is to order a few menu items and share them with the table. Five Forks has its evening tapas menu (served from 4 p.m. to close) split up into three categories — small, medium and large bites. Our server suggested that one small or one medium bite per person would be sufficient, but everything on the menu looked appetizing. I made the executive decision that it would be too hard to choose just two dishes for him and me to share, so we ordered five. And we had bread to start. (Like I said, we ate a lot.)

In an effort to support other local businesses, the restaurant served us bread from Mary’s Market, and it also uses a variety of chocolates from Chocolat by Daniel in its desserts. We each had a black pepper Parmesan roll and dipped it in balsamic vinegar and olive oil with shredded Parmesan cheese. The balsamic wasn’t as potent as others I’ve had, but the mixture was still good. I appreciate when a restaurant offers oil and vinegar with bread instead of butter.

Our first appetizer to arrive was the Baked Polenta Fries for $8. Polenta is cornmeal that’s boiled into a porridge, and, in this case, baked in strips. The seasoned polenta tasted similar to a potato fry with a slightly grittier texture. They came with a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce and were tasty but very salty, so keep a glass of water on hand.

Our next dishes were the Bacon Mac & Cheese ($12) and Shrimp Toast ($10). The mac was great, but it wasn’t very cheesy. I’d describe it more as pasta shells and garlic cloves in alfredo sauce than a traditional mac and cheese. The Shrimp Toast came with six thinly sliced pieces of toasted ciabatta, but Alex and I could only eat one crostini apiece because the shrimp spread was so buttery and rich. Again, very good but very salty.

We were losing steam by the time our entrees came but made sure to try a small bite of everything. Alex ordered the Beef Tenderloin Trio ($18) done medium, and I had the Seared Scallops ($19). His plate came with three midsize medallions of steak served on a bed of (wonderful) Parmesan au gratin potatoes. Each medallion was a different flavor — black pepper roasted garlic, herb, and hickory char. Our favorite was the hickory, smoky and full-bodied. After all that food, I had unintentionally saved the best for last. My three, half-dollar-size scallops were absolutely scrumptious. I wasn’t asked how I’d like them cooked, but it didn’t matter. They were done to perfection, somewhat crisp on the outside with a smooth, supple inside. Our server mentioned that cooking scallops correctly is a feat, which makes sense since they’ve often been undercooked or rubbery when I’ve had them elsewhere. Not only were these scallops melt-in-your-mouth, they were topped with a unique, sweet-and-spicy strawberry salsa and served on a bed of fried sticky rice. To die for.

“Ahh” factor: Five Forks has a big retail selection of wine. When you order one of these bottles with dinner it’s served based on retail price rather than what Five Forks calls “an extravagant restaurant markup.” The bottle Alex and I chose with our meal — a Spanish Grenache called Zestos — was only $12. A mere $3 corking fee put us at $15 for a bottle of wine that may have been twice the price somewhere else. Another great feature of the restaurant’s wine offerings? A portion of the proceeds from monthly featured labels goes to various local charities.

“Hmm” moment: Tapas dining can often get to be pretty pricey. It’s fun to try a lot of flavors in one sitting, but if you’re on a budget, I’d suggest sticking to one medium or large bite per person at most.

Next time, I’ll: Be wiser about the order in which I eat certain food groups. Our server was considerate in asking which dishes we would like first, but we said that it didn’t matter. Big mistake. We went a little overboard with the carbohydrates at the beginning of the meal, which made it difficult to enjoy our protein- and veggie-based entrees. In the future I’ll make sure to substitute a salad or hummus platter for one of the carby appetizers and/or ask for a protein dish to be served in between grain-based foods.